8/2/18
Our final service day was spent at a cancer support community center in Wilkes-Barre! We toured the facility and painted canvases with some of the members. We learned about many of their stories talking to them during our painting and lunch session. They also surprised us with a “Welcome Runner’s” sign. Emily’s parents surprised her and she was so excited and surprised. It was super sweet! After this we drove back to the host to deep clean the vans and organize our food to donate what we could. We had our meeting and found out our running partners for the last day (Yay Jenny!!!). Courtney also read a letter from Becca, making us tear up acknowledging the end is coming. We went to Olive Garden for our last team dinner! It was a great time! Everyone ate a lot and enjoyed each other’s company. Near the end Georgia handed out personal letters she wrote to each and every one of us. They were so touching and brought out the water works. Jenny started bawling because she was so happy and thought the letter was so nice. Ashley let the tears come out that she’s been holding in for three days. When we left we played sad songs to ‘feel the moment’ together. Haha. I think Ashley just wanted to make everyone cry with the aux. We also got rained on, adding to the sadness. When we got back Markian followed through with doing a pop mile. He had to chug a bottle of cherry Pepsi before every lap around the track. He calculated he ate 3,200 calories at Olive Garden and this would easily put him over 4,000. Haha. He felt like there was a giant balloon in his stomach and released that on the second lap across the track and over the fence. Ick. But he finished it! Matt also joined him for the last two. During this event was the loudest I’ve ever heard Karla. She is a quiet person and usually sticks to herself but when she cheers at track events the little aggressive yeller comes out of her. I was quite impressed. Sasha and Maeve also showed up during this. Hah. They will be with us for the last two days and will haul our things for us! We then watched the movie Collateral Beauty. Highly recommend! I made it almost to the end but found myself wandering to my bed out of exhaustion. I realized just how badly I don’t want to leave these people I now call family. Not being in a room with all of them kills me. I’m not sure how it’ll go when we’re all in our different states in a couple days. 😭
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131 miles
Host van with Markian Kuropas Who I ran for: dedication story Jackie and the people from the church A family from the church brought their 3 little boys to watch our dedication circle and inspire them to live out healthy lifestyles. So cute. Markian and I struggled to stay awake on our 2 hour 15 min drive back into PA. We went through some steep mountains, stopped at a gas station where he got chocolate chip cookie dough milk, and made it to Misericordia University. We get to stay at a university in apartment style dorm rooms! It’s soooo nice. We met the president of the university as eel as the track and cross country coach. The coach tried explaining a trail route to me where I ended failing miserably during my hunt for it. Markian and I unloaded the van, took a 30 minute power nap, and went to the track for a workout. It was nice to have the cushion of the track and be able to open up the stride and speed it up in shorter distances. I did 1 mile warm up, 4x800m, 800 400 400 (x2). I then went to explore the town with an additional 5 miles and found a hill on every road. There was also a lot of construction and it was hard to find a safe place to run. I finished at our dorm and met up with my teammates. We went to the cafeteria and as we finished and went back to our rooms it began to pour. It felt so goooood but everyone else has showered so they were trying to avoid the rain. Haha. Most of us took a short nap before heading to an alumni’s house for dinner. When we arrived at her house we were in awe. It was a beautiful home built by the family on top of a steep hill. They have about 30 acres of land and multiple porches outside with a fire pit and pool. They also had bees and chickens to have their own fresh honey and eggs. Their golden retriever (Gunner) was a beautiful dog that loved everyone! They fed us grilled food and it was all so so delicious. I had the chance to speak with all of the family members! The alumni, Erika, also had her parents and grandparents there. They were all so fun and youthful still! Her grandparents told us about their family, how they met, and about the house. They also stressed the importance of education and believe that’s how they’ve all become so successful. The grandpa also stood by the phrase “practice what you preach” and felt the importance of supporting his children and grandchildren and being at all of their events cheering them on. He was so calm and sweet and it touched my heart as he ate his ice cream, letting it drip a few times on his short without worry. Haha. A few of us then went down with Erika’s mom and grandma to get the eggs from the chickens. Erika joined and we learned about her crazy 4K biking experience in 2014. They didn’t have a route planned out back then and they had to stay up until 3 A.M. mapping what roads they were going to take. Many of their teammates got lost along the way and some even hitch hiked to find the rest of their team. They camped almost every night and spent long mornings tearing down and getting on the road. We also learned about what she did when she worked for Ulman afterwards. I learned a lot from meeting her and her family! ❤️ As we were leaving, we said goodbye and the grandma told me “have a good life I guess.” That was so sad. Usually it’s a “see you later” but she was realistic and said it how it was. I am never good at goodbyes so I just giggled, thanked her for everything, and wrapped her in my arms. When they pointed out we only had about 48 hours left on this trip, my heart dropped. I don’t want to leave this team and I’ll embrace each and every minute left. 7/31/18
139 miles Partner: Matthew Billings 14 miles ran Who I ran for: dedication story and people of the church we stayed at It was tough waking up and finding the energy to go. We got in the van and drove to our starting point. I couldn’t really fall asleep so I just hugout with mostly everyone else sleeping around me. Jenny was in the same row as me and I was grateful for our friendship and sharing the seat with her because she is so tiny and curls up super small. Haha. We took a picture at the New York State Line as Georgia yelled at us “wake up losers!!!!” Haha we drove a few more miles and then started running. The first set was fine but the second set of 4 was hard. One of the hardest on the trip. We were still in hilly territory. My legs were so heavy and didn’t want to move. I wanted to go faster but my body physically couldn’t. I refused to stop. I made it to the van and instantly fell asleep in the back seat. My body was done and demanded rest to recover. I slept maybe 30 minutes and woke up to my third round of 4 miles. Sleep works miracles and I felt quite a bit better. I could at least move my legs! I also drank part of an energy drink that could take some of the credit. We ran past some of the cutest little Amish boys wearing hats that seemed leery about waving back at us. We just had one more leg of 2 and were done!! Jenny and James were very unlucky on their last set. They had one of the steepest hills of the trip. It was straight up for a mile, convinced you you were done, and then continued upwards. We parked at the top where they were at the end of their miles. Big Bertha (the van) hadn’t had to work that hard in a LONG time. But they survived. 😀 We made it to the host where we were driven to homes to shower. I forgot the comfort of a cotton towel and not wearing shower shoes. It was heavenly!! I probably took to long as Grace was waiting on me to shower. Haha. We went back to the church and had an amazing meal of grilled burgers, hotdogs, chicken, everything for tacos, and chocolate chip zucchini bread! We visited for awhile and then ventured in to play cards (we played Cash and practiced our poker faces as it got super competitive) and use Monica’s therapy shocking pad things. It get good and was fun watching our muscles twitch and tighten. Courtney got a cramp and demanded a pickle instantly. She put it in her mouth and the cramp went away, even without swallowing. It’s a miracle! Haha. Jenny, Ashley, Carly, and I then went outside on the picnic tables to talk. We talked about the trip and what were worried about when we go home and in our daily routines. We also talked about what we’ve learned and gotten the most of out of this trip. It got deep and as it got late we went back inside to settle in. As we were going to bed Moni had to shut the front door and noticed a skunk. It smelled and everyone laughed. Jenny had her deep laugh going on and everyone felt like silly little girls again having a slumber party, falling asleep to laughter. I’ll always remember that moment and strive for that true laughter every day. xxw 7/30/18
143 miles Partner: Moni Henderson 14 miles ran Who I ran for: Olivia-dedication story (she blogs about her cancer and calls it Sarcasmic Sarcoma) The days continue to fly by and I find myself falling asleep before finding my will to blog. I want to spend as much as I can the lat few days with my teammates, realizing that we may never all be together again at the same time. As we drive to our starting point in van 2 today, I figured I’d catch you up. Yesterday morning Shania and I drove and navigated to our starting point. We crossed a state line!! We are now in HILLY Pennsylvania. When we crossed the bridge into PA, there was not a state sign to take a group picture we just went to our starting point. I was placed in the van with all the PA girls! They’re running in their stomping grounds today. Which are SO hilly! The hills were constant straight up and straight down. There was a point that I was moving my legs straight up and down barely crawling up the hill. I had to lean so far forward I could’ve easily face planted. I could’ve also easily face planted on the way back down the hills. One hill I had to land on the very backs of my heels just to not tumble down. I told Moni our goal for that set of miles was to not kill our knees. They were already throbbing. Even though the hills were bad, all the trees and wilderness was beautiful. I ran up to a deer, but it ran off as I got close. Moni and also earned the award of most turns in a single leg of miles. Our first run had too many turns to count. We had to look at our route many times and even missed one turn running past it and having to turn around and go back. Today I tried out my new running fanny pack as well and had issue with it our first set but then figured it out after that! Tough round but we made it!! We ran through more Amish communities, found kids throwing a football back and forth (our team played with them as they waited for us to get to the van) and stumbled along a unique barn abandoned with an old car in it. We joked that the children of the corn took over since it was right behind cornfields. After 14 miles each, we arrived in Warren, PA. A gorgeous victorian town! They had a beautiful bridge and many large stone buildings. We walked around for awhile, got coffee, and went to a smoothie shop to get a protein shake. Yummm. All of our team went to shower and Shania, Iwona, Carly, and I were left at the “park of music” across from the shops. For some reason there wasn’t very much communication so we waited there for nearly two hours to go to supper at the host. Shania and I had to then shower after we ate yet another taco bar. It’s become a joke to tell everyone we’re having tacos at night because we’ve had it so much. And it sure turned out to be that way. But it’s a good dinner so everyone can customize what they eat. Haha. So we ate around 7, had our team meeting, then Jenny and Ashley came with Shania and I to shower and the Y. We then hit the store and went back to the host to relax. I made a fancy bed out of the church chairs stacked on the side of the room, lied down on them, and passed out. I knew when I did this I’d be out because it was oh so comfy and after the long day it was, I needed to catch up on some shut eye. Today was a perfect day for so many different reasons. We woke up around 7:30 to a breakfast prepared for us (I forgot to mention the church is providing us food the whole time we stay and not allowing us to eat what we have already so we can save it for the last few days. They have two fridges stocked and a pantry. They also have 15 dozen hard boiled eggs. 15 DOZEN! This isn’t even me being darastic. That’s about one dozen for each person that’s not vegan. Wow. Yum.) before hitting the road to Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world! We all passed out on the way there and back since it was an hour and a half drive from our host. Yay for naps! When we arrived we were all so thrilled seeing the terrifying coasters in the distance. We parked and ran (literally) into the park but realized it wasn’t a run day and figured we should walk through the park and not get in trouble. Can’t stop us from running for anything. Haha. We split up into a couple smaller groups and started hitting the rides. A couple of my favorites were the Valravn and the GateKeeper. These both hung over the edge and the GateKeeper positioned the riders to the side of the track. Lots of loops and speed! Another favorite was the Magnum XL-200 with tunnels and high speed and height. The most intense one was definitely the Top Thrill Dragster. This coaster speeds up to 120 mph in 3.8 seconds. This ride is 17 seconds long, launching you up 90 degrees and straight back down doing a 270 degree twist through the finish line. It was so intense it’s not even possible to scream. Ya, my head was throbbing a bit from that one! All of the coasters were a blast and left us craving more adrenaline and thrill!
We also had a nice Starbucks break in the park between rides to calm our nerves and give our bodies some recovery. Haha. When we returned back to the host dinner was ready as we caught up with each other and the members of the church serving us. I’ve been wanting to get a tattoo of the route we’re running this summer for a permanent memory. This experience has become a part of me. I made a design with the route and a runner at the end. I called around to a couple tattoo shops and one could get me in so Ashley and Shania road with me to downtown Cleveland. We showed up and walked into a shop in a sketchier part of the neighborhood. Inside felt dirty and I had a bad vibe. I called a different place and luckily they said they could squeeze me in! We drove there and it was a super nice shop! Wayyyyy cleaner and only good vibes when we walked in. The guy doing my tattoo drew it out and personalized it exactly how I wanted it. Before I knew it, it was on my leg pain free. I love it! The artist was super nice and gave me a discount since he liked our cause. There’s so much meaning behind this tattoo. Everything from this trip has been amazing and the runner at the end of the route represents that my running journey isn’t over and is just getting started by helping more and more people through a talent I am blessed to have. 7/28/18
114 miles Partner: Ashley Farrell 11 miles ran Who I ran for: Jason-our dedication story (young adult that had his life turned completely upside down when finding out he had testicular cancer) We woke up to the YMCA employee brewing a fresh pot of coffee for us. Perfect timing to use the yeti my friend, Jenna Muhlbauer, sent me!! I am so grateful for her care package and all the letters! We loaded up in the vans and Ashley put on her headband for the day that said “I thought they said rum” haha! We all joked that we thought that’s what this trip was supposed to be. All fun and games. But then she changed into a shower cap halfway through the day. Her grandma accidentally sent that in her package and it was actually what her grandma uses. Ha! It was bright and floral and Ashley received many odd looks from people passing us on the road. She looked ridiculous but adorable as ever! We stopped at the birthplace of Thomas Edison sign to take a picture that’ll be the cover of our mixed tape dropping in 2019 (see below). When we were at this sign, Monica accidentally misplaced her phone and thought she set it in the van. Long story short, we finished our miles, stopped at a coffee shop for WiFi to track her phone on her computer, and backtracked 25 minutes to an old couples house to get her phone. A bad situation turned into a good one knowing people still look out for others. ❤️ we made it to the host (that is right by the biggest roundabout any of us have seen) and instantly went to shower. We got back and had a taco/salad bar. We also had our team meeting explaining how the last day will go. After we ate Ashley then again put on something unique. She had chicken leg socks and posed for a picture on the black duffel bags making it look like those were her actual legs (also see below). It was hilarious! Ashely, Shania, Carly, Iwona, Courtney, James, and I went out for a couple drinks and pool at a local bar. Our waiter was great. He was a younger guy and instantly made us laugh when he could only remember one of the four special drinks of the night. Don’t worry, he was sure to get us a list of them (still forgetting one of the drinks and running back to find out what it was) and a menu. It made for a fun night! A couple times we just stopped and thought how great it was being around each other. *trying not to get sad about this trip ending soon* We got back to the host, talked a little bit, and then went to sleep on wonderfully comfy church chairs. Tomorrow we go to Cedar Point (the roller coaster capital of the world)! YAY! 105 miles
Partner: Grace Burud 10 miles ran Who I ran for: Mattie Jane, Patricia, Scott Mills, Jim Erickson Today was a pretty chill day. I ran with Grace and it was nice to catch up on life. We only had a short 10 Miles today as well so it wasn’t brutal! We had a lot of rough roads and ran on many roads without a shoulder so it wasn’t that enjoyable. We still made it through! We crossed into Ohio, but there wasn’t a state sign to take a picture by so a couple of us took a selfie with the “state line auto” shop. We then found a local coffee shop for some fuel for the road. I drove us to our host in Tiffin! On the way we jammed out and James fell asleep in the middle of our conversation when he was my navigator. I was sure to startle him awake by yelling his name. Haha. We also had some tolls and jammed out to Avril Lavigne as we were in line waiting to pay. When we arrived at the host we were all excited to get our mail from the last mail drop!! I received a few letters and an amazing care package from Jenna Muhlbauer, my good friend from high school. ☺️☺️ A few of us lifted at the YMCA and then had a taco dinner. I then designed the tattoo I want in memory of this trip. It’ll be the line of the route we run with a stick runner figure on the front of my thigh around my shorts line (aka tan line). I’m going to try and get it in Cleveland tomorrow or in New York! Since we are going to Cedar Point on Sunday (our rest day) I won’t have time to get the tattoo that day. So many events to look forward tooooooo!!! We are winding down and going to try and get some sleep tonight in the nice chilly room. Yay for A/C! 122 miles
Partner: Daniela Hernandez 12 miles ran (14) Who I ran for: Bobbie-family member having her last breast reconstruction surgery today!! Gabe Henderson- a classmate at UNI from one of my first year classes that is now 2 years clear from cancer! When the alarm went off it took me a solid 5 minutes to rise from the couch and open my eyes. I rolled up my pillow and sleeping bag without even realizing it. I went upstairs to use the bathroom and came back down to ‘the wheel’ remembering just how musty it was in there and how excited I was to get on the road running again. We loaded up the vans, had our dedication circle, and took off. My partner was Daniela and we got one mile in when her quad started to hurt with a pull on her knee. She decided she should rest it and I ran back towards the van, looping her, to get an extra mile in as she walked. The van saw us and parked and I continued running with Jenny and Cheyenne! We did 3 sets of 4 miles and each and every set went super fast (running some low 7 min)! I ended up getting to do 14 because of the first half leg with Daniela. That made me super excited! At this point I feel like I could run forever. I love it. During our runs we talked about our team, the Boston Marathon, and future plans. We all pushed each other as we ran through cute towns, open highways, and back roads. We saw it all today. Our van was super fluid and finished quick. We were on top of our game and were always ready for our turns. We finished late morning and then drove into Ann Arbor. Jenny drove and I navigated as we had a deep talk. I love when we get our chance to drive and have heart to hearts. Our main focus was on religion and I enjoy sharing that with her. We are both Christians and have similar backgrounds! I strive to push myself in my faith as much as she does in hers. She is a deep thinker and everything she says shows great perspective. We drove through some rain but arrived downtown by the running store of Ann Arbor. When we got out it finished raining and we spent the day shopping and walking around until we needed to be at our host at 6. We visited two running stores (and got some necessities), I found some delicious coffee from a unique coffee shop, and we tasted some wine from a popular cherry store (delicious). The host prepared a spaghetti dinner that was ready right as we walked in! We talked to the ladies of the church and learned that one of them is in the hall of fame for the 1500 m run! That was super cool to find out! When we finished Matt, Markian, Carly, and I went out to the soccer fields on the side of the church. I’ve missed soccer so much. We spent quite awhile shooting on the goal and practicing juggling and rainbow tricks. I spent a little extra time alone dribbling and shooting and took in the peace of the soccer field to myself. After I finished there was a team meeting and we discussed our plans to go to Cedar Point (the roller coaster capital of the world) on Sunday! I’M SO EXCITED. We also have an alumni meeting us in the morning to run a few miles with us! AND we had announced that we’ll be having another service day in Wilkes-Barre, PA!!! Today was a great day with positive moods all around and exciting things to look forward to. I couldn’t have asked for a better time with all of my teammates. ❤️ This morning I woke up to Georgia saying it’s 10:12. I sprung up and asked if that was the actual time. 10 A.M. seems like a normal wake up time for a college student in the summer time but on the 4K that’s so rare we don’t even think of it. Matt, the 4K alumn, was showing up at the church at 10:30 to lead us to the Saginaw Recreation Park! He got us free rentals all day for kayaks, paddle boats, and canoes. So I hopped up, got dressed, grabbed some coffee and breakfast and was out the door. I felt SO refreshed getting nearly 11 hours of sleep. Much needed!
When we arrived at the recreation area, we noticed a “beach” swimming area and saw all the rentals waiting for us! We claimed a camp out spot and immediately went out on a paddle boat. The water was the perfect temperature and it was a beautiful, sunny day! After paddle boating I also went kayaking! It was extremely peaceful rowing out and around the lake and then sitting still and taking everything in. The beauty and thoughts of the trip. One moment of silence and then I found myself heading to my other teammates on a paddle boat. We only have 10 days left on the trip and once again I felt that I wasn’t ready for this to be over. We spent some time on the water and then went back to shore. We swung on some swings, walked along the beach, and took some fun pictures! We drove back to the host and then went to the city market for some froyo and wine tasting! It was a great time! We also walked around downtown again before dinner. Courtney, Markian, Georgia, Grace, and I also found a guitar and mini drum downstairs and had a jam session singing a bunch of random songs! After we ate we had our Christmas in July celebration. 😀 We turned on some Christmas music and exchanged our gifts! Each of us drew names to determine who we got a gift for and were finally able to give them the gifts! Everyone was thrilled with their gift! I gave Ryan a Rick and Morty Pickle Rick coffee mug and I received Chucky (from Rugrats) glasses and a little stuffed animal that smells like a fresh apple orchard from Monica! Anna, James, Carrie, Rachel, and I then played uno! We played it with a couple new rules and James won right away. The four of us then continued to receive a second place. At times we were laughing so hard because it was never ending and we were all so miserable playing (hot, tired, frustrated, thirsty, etc...) but were too stubborn to stop early if we already committed to playing. Haha. We got to the point where we were trying to help each other win. Finally it happened and we were relieved. Whew. We spent the rest of the night hanging out and taking care of laundry and our chores for the next day. We’re excited to continue our journey bright and early! Quote of the day “put your pinky down” 7/24/18
90 miles Partner: Ryan Cooper 9 miles ran Who I ran for: Bren and dedication story With only 9 miles between the team and a rest day, we were ready to hit the road and whip out the miles quick! Ryan was my partner (again) and we knocked them out quick. We thought we wouldn’t be able to move after the past couple days but we kept a solid pace while talking the whole time! We almost were competing over who could get the next sentence out. Haha. We had so much to catch up on! We talked out school, what we’re nervous for after returning home after the trip, our futures, and he even gave me a great track workout to use when I get home. 😉 At one point we missed our turn but then turned around and tacked on an additional mile (which we weren’t mad about). Both of us love high mileage and pushing each other! We arrived to Bay City and I had officially completed 43 miles in 3 days. I don’t hurt too bad, but my body will enjoy a day off! When we got to ton we stopped at a coffee shop filled with all hints Beatles! They had specialty drinks and we all ordered a free one on the lady next door. She was grateful for what we were doing and insisted on paying for our coffee. Such a sweet gesture! We then went to our host. It is a Presbyterian church built in the 1800s and looks like a castle!! We are staying downstairs in ‘The Wheel’ which is the youth group room. It’s full of toys, costumes, dolls, and couches! It’s a bit musty but we’re good at dealing with such circumstances. When we got there we showered and a group of us walked downtown before being served supper. We met a 2016 Team New York alumni who lives in the area! His name is Matt and we asked him a million questions about his experience and what it’s like returning to “real life”. He also showed us around the church and the chapel area. It is gorgeous! We then started a scary movie downstairs called A Quiet Place. It was super suspenseful and all of us crowded together on the surrounding couches. After this we found our sleeping areas and fell asleep almost instantly. I slept for ELEVEN HOURS!! It was soooo needed. I was asked twice in the morning if I wanted to go with groups to a coffee shop but I was only half awake and said “later.” Haha I knew I needed the sleep while I could. It was a great start to our rest day. |